Pilot Proficiency

As soon as you started practicing the flight maneuvers for the private pilot practical test, you learned about clearing turns. Usually, a clearing turn involves a 90-degree turn to the left followed by a 90-degree turn to the right so that you roll out on the same heading on which you started — at least […]

Last week, three small airplanes were intercepted by F-16s in the Los Angeles area as a result of busting temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) during President Obama’s visit to the area. These types of incidents remind me of why it’s so important to get the latest information available for each flight. I always call flight service […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. This latest Spotlight is brought to you by Ken Henze, who recently flew into Newton Municipal Airport in a Cessna 172. Here’s what he has to say about the airport’s FBO, Johnson Aviation: Johnson Aviation (KTNU) […]

We’ve heard a lot lately about biofuel breakthroughs, batteries and solar power as potential replacements for avgas at some point in the not-so-distant future, but what about liquid hydrogen? The maiden flight of Boeing’s Phantom Eye UAV last week proved that hydrogen could indeed serve as a replacement for traditional fuels in piston-powered airplanes. Phantom […]

One maneuver that has been added to the practical test standards since I earned my commercial and instructor certificates at the beginning of the millennium is the power-off 180-degree accuracy approach and landing. While this maneuver is not a part of the private or sport pilot curricula, it is a maneuver that is worthwhile for […]

You will never understand lift. Forget it. You haven’t got a chance. So I muttered to myself as I closed a fascinating book called The Enigma of the Aerofoil. The author, David Bloor, is an emeritus professor of the University of Edinburgh whose field is the sociology of science: how cultural and personal factors shape […]

Think you can tell a Pilatus PC-12 cockpit from the cockpit of a TBM 850? How about a Grumman F8F Bearcat from a Vought F4U Corsair? Whether you’re a new aviation enthusiast or a veteran airplane fanatic, take our Name that Airplane quiz and see if your aircraft knowledge is up to snuff. Launch the […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. This latest Spotlight is brought to you by Ruhil Austen, who recently flew into Tuscon International Airport in a Cessna C182T. Here’s what he has to say about one of the airport’s FBOs, Million Air. Million […]

They say in life nothing’s certain but death and taxes, but you can add to that list the people who watch a cool video on YouTube and just have to proclaim it a fake, whether it is or not. It happened with an amazing (and obviously very real) video clip posted last week showing the […]

When I was a new pilot I got in hot water with a controller one time, and rightfully so, for forgetting to tell him I was on a three-mile final, as he’d requested I report to him. I could have made a couple of reasonable excuses, including that it was a busy flight (which it […]